You’ll Never Guess What Hugh Jackman’s Childhood Dream Job Was

“I love what New Yorkers for Children does,” Hugh Jackman said at the organization’s fall gala on Tuesday. “It’s a grass-roots level—it doesn’t just sort of throw money here and there; it really looks after kids with what they need, in every way, emotionally as well as financially,” the actor added of the group, which benefits youth in foster care. He and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, were gala co-chairs. “When you get to meet the kids and hear their stories, it makes you involved,” Furness said.

During the evening, which honored founder Nicholas Scoppetta, we got to hear from some of those who, with the help of N.Y.F.C., managed to overcome difficult circumstances and achieve successful careers.

Some guests shared with us what they, as kids, dreamed of doing when they grew up. “I wanted to be a chef on a plane. ’Cause I thought there was one,” Jackman said. “I wanted to travel, and I like food,” he shrugged. Furness wanted to be a lawyer and fight for justice.

“I wanted to be an astronomer,” said Crystal Renn, who was good at math and science. “Astronomy turned into astrology, so what can you do?” she said. The model is self-taught in the practice of “advanced astrology” and says she has done thousands of charts. “I actually remember people based on their charts. It’s very odd,” Renn told VF Daily. “It’s not normal, but yes, I’m very into astrology.”

And what’s in the stars for Renn?

“I actually started modeling because I thought that it was going to pay for Yale,” Renn, who was wearing a Gabriela Cadena dress, said. “And then modeling turned into kind of this whirlwind thing. I haven’t gone to Yale yet. I’m so inspired by photography and modeling, it’s looking like I’m staying in this business.”

Peter Brant Jr., who is in college and presumably still trying to decide on a career, has gone through different phases. “There was a time when I really wanted to be a chef, and then [my brother] Harry also wanted to be a chef, but he wanted to be a pastry chef,” Brant said. “I wanted to be a serious chef, and then we would fight about it. And we tried to start a restaurant together in our kitchen. It didn’t really work out so well.”

How are his cooking skills? “I don’t think I’m a terrible cook. Harry’s awful.” Peter says he’s deft at whipping up fresh tomato sauce, crème brûlée, and chocolate soufflé, among other dishes. And Harry? “Harry knows how to do that frozen hot-chocolate mix that you get from Serendipity, and that’s about it.”

As a kid, Giants defensive end Justin Tuck told us that he had one dream. “I really wanted to marry this girl that I knew I was going to meet at Notre Dame, but I was very bad at talking to girls,” he said. “I had a dream when I was a little kid, and I went to Notre Dame searching for this girl.” He was referring to his wife, Lauran, who happened to be there on his arm.

“We met in college,” Lauran said. “He’s being sweet right now,” she added, laughing. “Actually, I was a senior in high school, and he was a freshman at Notre Dame. And now, six years later, we’ve been married, and we have two kids.”

So was Tuck really bad at talking to girls in his college days? “No, he’s good,” she said. “He’s a Southern gentleman.”